Jay Isaac (b. 1975, Saint John, NB) is a Canadian artist of Lebanese descent living and working in rural New Brunswick after two decades in Toronto. His painting practice consists of series that are individual units within a larger framework of artistic production, with each series differing according to varying intentions and parameters. Isaac makes art objects that simultaneously propose and question viability as consumable entities and does so as an acknowledgment of the contradictions and complexity of working within the capitalist system.
Adjacent to his studio practice he has initiated multiple artist run projects that mimic and critique institutional frameworks including Hunter and Cook magazine and gallery, the @nationalgalleryofcanada and @newbrunwickartistarchive Instagram accounts, and Peter Estey Fine Art and Auctions.
He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including New Brunswick Arts Board grants (2023, 2024), Canada Council for the Arts Concept to Realization grant (2022), Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2021), and the Chalmers Fellowship (2019).
jayisaac2075@gmail.com
@jayisisaac
Generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the New Brunswick Arts Board
